Hasan Tufan (1900-1981)

Hasan Tufan is an outstanding Tatar poet, whose creativity is a national treasure and very much loved.

Hasan Fahrievich Tufan was born on December 9, 1900, in the village of Keremet in the Aksubaevski Territory of Tatarstan to a peasant family. He learned to read and write from his father and he went to school once one was opened in the village.

In the spring of 1914, Тufan and his brothers left for the Ural Mountains where they worked in a copper mine. In the autumn he studied in the Ufa madressa, “Galiya.” Here he became acquainted with G. Ibragimovym, S. Babichem, S. Ramievym, M. Gafuri and S. Sunchaleem.

From 1918 to 1924, Tufan worked as a teacher at schools in Siberia and the Ural Mountains. From 1924 to 1928 he worked at a school in Kazan.

From 1928 to 1930, Tufan traveled through the republics of the Caucases and Central Asia.

Having returned from his trip, Tufan, from 1930 to 1934, worked as the editor for the Tatar radio-committee and then became the secretary for the Soviet literature magazine, “The Fires of Kazan.”

In 1940, Tufan was subjected to unreasonable repression and for many years he disappeared from the scene of his native people and native literature. Only in 1956, after Stalin's death, he came back to Kazan.

Tufan’s work was first printed in 1924. Within two to three years people already started talking about his work, readers, critics, and the literary public. Tufan is one of the first to introduce the theme of the working class to Tatar poetry, portraying their work and struggle. Between the ages of twenty and thirty, he had created such significant works as, “Ural Sketches,” “Between Two Epochs,” and “Bibievs.” These poems are some of the most treasured of Tatar poetry.

A new period began in Tufan's creativity in the mid-1930’s. The poet moved from epics to lyrics. Many lyrical verses became popular in songs of the people.

Tufan's poems concerning military and the post-war years are enriched with deep philosophical meanings.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Tufan’s poetry reached new heights. He created many works which have the right to be considered pearls of Tatar poetry. For his collection of verses, “Elected Works” (1964), Tufan was awarded the State Award of Tatarstan in 1966, G. Tukai.

Tufan died on June 10, 1981, in Kazan.

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